A Rising Tide in Graduation Rates at the California State University (CSU), a Persistent Divide in Racial Equity
On August 3rd, 2023, we hosted a webinar to share the findings of our report, A Rising Tide in Graduation Rates at the California State University (CSU), a Persistent Divide in Racial Equity: A Progress Report on the Graduation Initiative 2025.
The CSU is the largest public university system in the nation, providing critical access to a four-year degree for over 400,000 undergraduate students across 23 campuses.
In 2015, the CSU launched the Graduation Initiative 2025 to increase graduation rates and close racial/ethnic equity gaps in degree completion. Today, the CSU can boast a historic growth in graduation rates for first-time students from 19% to 35% in four years and a more modest growth from 57% to 62% in six years.
This publication serves as a progress report on the efforts of the CSU system and each of its 23 campuses to raise graduation rates for first-time students and transfer students and close racial equity gaps over the last decade.